Max Meyer - The prodigious talent who could cause Chelsea another upset
Max Meyer
Chelsea cruised to an easy 3-0 win over Schalke in the last round of the Champions League, but the Blues will have to be wary of the threat of Max Meyer when they host Jens Keller’s side on Wednesday night.
The midfielder, who turned 18 in September, has been making waves in the Bundesliga having bagged three goals in eight league appearances this season, most recently with a fine strike against Borussia Dortmund.
Meyer has often made an impact from the bench and boasts a higher overall performance score than the likes of Bayern Munich’s Thomas Muller and Dortmund’s Jakub Blaszczykowski, despite having played fewer games.
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In the Champions League Meyer didn’t feature in the 3-0 win over Steaua Bucharest, but played the majority of both games since; the 1-0 win at Basel and the defeat at home to the west Londoners.
The diminutive midfielder is noted for both his skill on the ball and his accurate passing, and in the 77 minutes he played against Jose Mourinho’s side, he completed 37 out of 39 passes at an accuracy of almost 95 per cent.
Meyer is the latest in a long line of talented youngsters who have worked their way through the ranks in Gelsenkirchen. The midfielder’s team-mate Julian Draxler and Arsenal’s Mezut Ozil are both products of the academy which is widely-renowned for its pedigree.
It looks like it won’t be long, though, before the youngster eclipses the achievements of his predecessors, especially if the statistics are anything to go by. In the Champions League so far, Meyer’s passing accuracy is better than Ozil and – more pertinently, ahead of Wednesday night’s match – is far better than that of Chelsea’s Brazilian star Oscar.
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Comparing Meyer’s passing statistics to the action areas from the match a fortnight ago, it’s clear the 18-year-old’s influence will be key if the visitors are to get a result at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea lost their 29-game unbeaten run at home in the Champions League group stage after losing to Basel in the opening round of fixtures.
With almost a fifth of the action taking place in the middle of the park, and a further 13.45% in the key hole in front of the penalty area, Meyer’s vision and trickery are things Mourinho will have to keep a close eye on in order to stifle the German side’s attacking threat.
Of course it’s not just the German’s passing that will threaten Chelsea’s defence. Meyer became the youngest player to score in three consecutive games in the Bundesliga, all from five shots on target; a conversion rate of 60%.
There is no doubting Meyer’s ability, but he is still young and Schalke boss Keller will want to protect his newest talent. That said, his side could do with a result at Stamford Bridge to hold off Basel in the group table, and with the youngster in such a rich vein of form he’s likely to feature strongly in west London.